2013 Academy Award Nominees Light on Reading

By Robin A. Rothman

The 2013 Oscar nominations are here; and though fewer than in years past, several films that were based on books that have made the cut. Per the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Best (Book-Based) Picture nominees are:

Lincoln

Based in part on historian Doris Kearns Goodwin'sTeam of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, this star-studded drama about the final months of the 16th American president's life leads the race with 12 impressive nominations.

Best Picture

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones

Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field

Best Director: Steven Spielberg

Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner

Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski

Best Costume Design: Joanna Johnston

Film Editing: Michael Kahn

Best Original Score: John Williams

Best Production Design: Rick Carter and Jim Erickson

Best Sound Mixing: Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins

Life of Pi
Facing Lincoln for Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes in three days, this spectacularly visual adaptation barely missed the top Oscar spot, earning 11 nominations -- none of which are in acting categories.

Best Picture

Best Original Song: "Pi's Lullaby"

Best Director: Ang Lee

Best Adapted Screenplay: David Magee

Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda

Film Editing:Tim Squyres

Best Original Score: Mychael Danna

Best Production Design: David Gropman and Anna Pinnock

Best Sound Editing: Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton

Best Sound Mixing: Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin

Best Visual Effects: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott

Les Miserables
This filmic adaptation of the Broadway adaptation ties Silver Linings Playbook for third with eight nominations, including an original song sung by Hugh Jackman that was new even to fans of previous soundtracks.

Best Picture

Best Actor: Hugh Jackman

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway

Best Original Song: "Suddenly"

Best Costume Design: Paco Delgado

Makeup and Hairstyling: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Best Production Design: Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson

Best Sound Mixing: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes

Silver Linings Playbook
This rom-com-drama is noteworthy at the very least for its pre-show sweep of the acting categories -- the first time one film has had nominations in all four since Warren Beatty, Maureen Stapleton, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton vied on behalf of Reds in 1982. (Only Stapleton won.)

Best Picture

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence

Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro

Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver

Best Director: David O. Russell

Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell

Film Editing: Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers

Beyond the top categories, Tolstoy's epic Victorian masterpiece Anna Karenina received four nominations (Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design), while Peter Jackson's take on Tolkien's The Hobbit was acknowledged in only three categories (Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects).

Bonus Fun fact: All of the Best Production Design nominees were from movies based on books.